Chapter Five

Matthew laid in the bed he had gotten used to after days of staying here. It was soft like a cloud, he didn't want to move. After what he had learned the night before, he couldn't find the motivation to even move from that bed. He had learned something cruel, evil in the flesh, and couldn't understand it. The images of Ivan's story rushed through his head, the fact that he knew that chest was in Ivan's room made his stomach feel sick. Who… who would do that… to another human being?…

"Sometimes, people are cruel. Not all of the world is peaceful and spread love like I do," his father once said, "Some people just want to watch other people suffer… they want to be cruel… they love that feeling. Those people exist… you can call them 'demons'…" The words seemed to echo back in Matthew's mind now. His father's voice, he missed it. He remembered it though, he remembered when his father said that statement… Matthew was only a child huh? He closed his eyes, trying to remember anything. Something had happened, he couldn't remember what. His eyes twitched as bloody images came back to his mind, his hands covered in it. He quickly opened his eyes as the dreadful feeling that he was covered in the blood.

His heart pounded faster in his chest with the thoughts, his head ached with every beat as well. He clutched onto his chest though, Ivan's heart was gone. He felt guilty… Ivan… he hadn't seen Ivan. He got up on his forearms then up to sitting, looking around the room made him feel a bit dizzy. He felt sick and he couldn't understand it; that story made him feel so sick… He held onto his chest, feeling his own heart beating, and gulped a bit. Ivan… He couldn't get the thoughts out of his head, they scarred him, they burned into his mind. Could Ivan even feel anything?… He couldn't comprehend at all….

Ivan clutched onto the chest that held his own heart in it. He sat against the bed holding it in his arms. His eyes were blank, he couldn't do anything anymore. Pain started to run through his core as he only grabbed onto the chest more. He didn't know what to do… he had told the story, he didn't know how Matthew reacted… he didn't know how to approach him now. One person had gotten into his house, Matthew was that person. There was a reason right?… Maybe… he was the one to break the curse? M-Maybe it was possible?… He shook his head.

He simply didn't know the answer to these questions.

OOO

Alfred grabbed onto the bars of the fence, looking through them to the haunting house where he believed his friend was dead, mutilated even. His grip around the bars got tighter as his anger build, there was no way he could just leave him in there, not after all they've been through. They had escaped death together once before, he felt like he owed him, they were friends like brothers, he felt too close to him to lose him now! If he was dead, Alfred would be sure to avenge him. If he was alive, he would come home… and that monster would pay.. He looked down at the stoned lawn, something about it didn't seem right. He remembered how quickly Matthew had passed out once he stepped onto the stones, how the monster then got him. Maybe if you touched them, they paralyzed you? Something wasn't right. He grabbed the bandana he had in his pocket and quickly threw it between the bars and onto the stones. Nothing.

He growled a bit and carefully stuck his leg in through the fence, getting his foot to step onto the stones even against the tight opening. He could see it! The green poisons gas leaked out between the cracks of the stones. Alfred quickly yanked his foot out and back then covered his mouth. He backed away until the gas stopped creeping out. Alfred growled a bit, he knew he would have to find a way in very fast now. He walked along the fence, looking in at the house for a way in. He knew the monster didn't use the front door, there had to be another way in. He moved his speed from a walk to a run, running fast along the fence to the back of the house to find an opening. He paused and stayed still when he saw it: the small door that led into the basement of the house. He smirked and used the bandana to cover his face then reached up to grab onto the bars of the fence, pulling himself up and onto the fence to get over.

OOO

Matthew wondered down into the kitchen to find Ivan there already, making the boy's medicine. Matthew stayed silent and stood at the door way, waiting for Ivan to turn around to see him but Ivan stayed looking straight ahead. He stirred the medicine in the mug then lifted his head up a bit, realizing the boy was standing there. He turned around and looked toward the young boy in a bit of nervousness. "Are you alright?" He asked. Matthew shrugged, he didn't know anymore. Everything was just too much for him now. A faded memory had started to take over Matthew's mind, which was already full of confusion. He barely looked at Ivan though, he kept his blank eyes toward the floor. "Matthew?…"

"Huh?"

"I-Is something bothering you?" Ivan came closer to the younger boy, against his pain, as Matthew nodded a bit. "What's wrong?… was it… what I told you?…"

"Partly… I'm confused, deeply confused.. But at the same time I just…" He frowned. "I just don't know anymore.. I don't understand…" Ivan frowned and lifted his hand up to the boy's cheek, Matthew quickly looked up at him. Ivan then moved his hand to the boy's head, gliding his fingers through the boy's soft hair.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't mean to upset you like this. I understand you've been through a lot in your life, this isn't making it any better." Matthew blinked.

"What do you mean?…"

"Obviously something happened to you, I can tell." Ivan placed his hand on the boy's left shoulder, then slid it down to his chest. "You were hurt." He slid his finger up and pulled down the boy's collar of his shirt, revealing part of his chest. "You even have a scar." He noticed. Matthew continued to only look only at the Russian's face. "I forced more onto you, I'm sorry."

"I don't…" Matthew's voice trailed off. He reached his hands up to Ivan's collar, then let them drop a little to his chest. He could feel the Russian's chest move with each breath, but no heart beat. He knew he couldn't feel it, there was nothing to feel but he kept his hands there as Ivan kept his hands cuffed around the boy's face. "I just…" Ivan started to get closer to the boy, getting his head closer to him as the two heated up. "You…" Matthew closed his eyes as Ivan moved in more, about to place a kiss on the boy's lips. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth, their lips almost touching…

Crash!

Ivan quickly jumped back with the huge sound coming from the main hallway. Matthew froze and looked at Ivan in confusion, what in the hell could that be? "Stay here." Ivan told him and quickly took off to the main hallway. Ivan carefully walked through the door to the main part, looking around for anything out of the ordinary. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the basement door shattered to its wooden pieces on the floor. Ivan blinked in shock and looked around more, something or someone got in.

Ivan looked toward the door, then took a step over to take a peek down the stairs to see if he could find anything, only pitch darkness remained. Ivan stood up tall and glared at the door, he knew someone was in his house and he didn't like that idea. His mind quickly switched to worry over Matthew, he could be threatened! Ivan quickly turned back toward the door to leave, placing his hand on the knob. He didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him. One thing he did hear was the sound of gun shooting off… and he could feel… the pain of the bullet going through his back.

Matthew jumped with the sound in the kitchen. He stood still in confusion of what to do, he didn't know what that sound was. The second time he heard it though, he knew what and where it came from and he quickly took off toward the main hallway. He ran as fast as he could, barging through the door and coming into the sight. His eyes widened as he saw Ivan on the ground, blood covering his shoulder and back. "Ivan!"

"Nyet! Get away!" Ivan yelled back but Matthew didn't move. His eyes followed the trail of blood on the floor to the man holding the weapon, Alfred.

"M-Mattie…" Alfred smiled a bit. "Y-You're alive… You're alive!"

"Alfred… no… don't hurt him."

"Don't hurt him! ? He took you away into this house! What did he do to you! ? Huh! ? Are you hurt! ?"

"I didn't hurt h-"

"Shut up monster!" Alfred yelled before Ivan could even finish his sentence and pointed the gun back up at him. "Don't you say another damn word!"

"Alfred no!" Matthew quickly jumped in front of Ivan. "Please you don't understand Alfred!"

"I don't understand? I don't understand! ? He took you away into this house! He kidnapped you Mattie!" Alfred swung the gun around. "I thought I was going to lose you… I couldn't lose you again…" Ivan looked up at the two, again?… "He took you from me… from your dad… from all of us… and he'll pay!" Matthew put his arms up and protected Ivan the best he could, standing in front of the aim of the weapon.

"Alfred, you don't understand the situation. H-He saved me. I was hurt, I hit my head and he helped it see?" Matthew moved his bangs out of the way to show the healing scar. "The stones outside. They poisoned me and he's been helping me! He saved my life not took it away from me." He looked back at Ivan, his eyes filled with pain, then back to Alfred. "And he's not a monster…." Alfred kept his gun up and stared angrily at Ivan, he couldn't let this go. "I-I'm okay now… w-we can just go… just leave now…" Matthew stepped forward and grabbed onto Alfred's wrist, having him lower the gun a bit. "L-lets just go… please…" He managed to get Alfred to completely lower the weapon. Alfred looked blankly at Matthew and nodded a bit as the boy grabbed onto his arm and began pulling him toward the broken door. He began pulling Alfred down the stairs as Ivan began to weakly stand up. But Alfred changed, he quickly turned.

Gun shots went off again as Matthew screamed to stop. Ivan's eyes widened as the pain struck through his entire body with each bullet, the firing only continued. Matthew tackled Alfred onto the floor as Ivan fell backwards into the wall, then sliding down until he sat on the floor. He couldn't be sure how many bullets hit him, maybe five, maybe eight, and it killed him with pain. Ivan looked blankly as Matthew tried his best to keep Alfred down, though the stronger Alfred was hard to keep down. He got so angry that he actually hit Matthew with the back of the gun, pushing him off and quickly getting up to go over to Ivan, getting ready to finish the Russian. Matthew laid on the ground and tried screaming for Alfred to stop, trying to get up but he felt fuzzy and weak. He tried getting up to his feet but he quickly fell to his knees with the weakness taking over his body. He gasped for breath and fell forward onto the ground, not able to move anymore. Ivan's eyes widened as he looked toward Matthew. "Stop… stop!" Ivan found the strength to get up and run toward Matthew as Alfred did.

"Mat! ?" Alfred dropped to his knees in front of Matthew's numb body. He quickly turned the boy over and froze, seeing him unconscious and pale. "Matthew! ? Matthew wake up!" He slapped the boy's face a bit as Ivan lost his energy, only able to slowly walk over and fall in front of the boy. Alfred began to tear up as he reached down to check for the boy's signs of life, only finding nothing. "Matt! Wake up!" He began to cry as Ivan stayed silent, only lifting his hand to the boy's cold and blank face. "What did you do! ?"

"I did nothing, the poison attacked his heart." Ivan gulped and moved his hand away, he didn't know what to do now. Alfred cried and held onto the boy's shirt, shouting to come back and wake up. Ivan sat there with a blankness expression, he couldn't deal with this… he needed to do something… he had to…

He pushed Alfred away, backwards onto the floor, and looked over Matthew. He sat on his knees and bent over the boy, looking down at his lifeless face and gulped. "What are you doing?…" Alfred questioned. Ivan gulped again and licked his lips a bit, maybe this way his chance, maybe it was the only way. He let his head down, his lips touching Matthew's, and kissed his cold lips. Ivan gulped and did it again, and again, and once more. This had to work, if he loved him that curse would be broken. The poison would disappear like it never effected him, right? It had to work!… it had to… Ivan lifted his head away and looked down at the boy.

He blinked. He looked at the boy's full eyes awake. Ivan smiled a bit and looked at Matthew who only blinked and took a deep breath, he could breathe again, he was alive again. He smiled and looked up at Ivan. "I-Ivan…" He whispered. "Y-You saved me… d-didn't you?…"

"I-I believe I did…" Ivan smiled in such relief. "It's alright now… you're okay now…"

"And so are you…"

"Huh?…"

"Your face… it's not as pale…" Matthew lifted his hand up to Ivan's cheek. "You're warm…" He moved his hand down the Russian's throat and to his chest, he smiled more. He grabbed onto Ivan's hand and lifted it to his own chest, keeping it under Matthew's hand. "You're alive…" Ivan's eyes widened even more as his smile grew. The feeling of being alive… he had forgotten what it was like, what it was like to feel his heart beating again, to feel warm instead of always numb, to love… to just… be alive…

"M-Matthew…" Alfred's voice shook as he looked at his friend. "Y-you're alive… You're alive!" Ivan lifted himself away, still feeling the pain of the bullet wounds, as Alfred pounced down and hugged onto him. "T-That's it! It's time to go! We need to go!" He stood up and looked toward the basement door but instead looked toward the front door; the nailing was gone! Everything, everything was gone. The stones disappeared, the nails, the fence, it was all gone! Ivan smiled a little more.

"O-Okay Al… we'll go." Matthew reached up for Alfred to help him up, which he did, then held onto his hand and pulled him toward the door. Ivan's smile disappeared as he looked at Matthew, he was leaving… he was leaving! No! "I-It's okay Ivan." Matthew smiled toward him. "It'll be okay. C-Come on Al." He turned and opened the door to the outside world, the sun actually shined through; something Ivan hadn't seen in thirty years, it blinded him. He managed to watch though as Matthew pulled Alfred out, leaving him behind. He was okay with that though… he was saved… he knew it would be just fine… and he would see Matthew again…

But Alfred's eyes seemed to flicker with anger as he got out of Matthew's grip then shut the front door in front of him, leaving Matthew outside. He lifted his gun up once again and shot Ivan, hitting his chest and forcing him to fall backwards into the wall as he heard Matthew's crying screams from outside. He broke the door in, quickly pushing it in and running in to protect Ivan as Alfred clicked his gun for the ending bullet. "Stop! Just stop! Please!" Matthew cried as he dropped to his knees to protect the wounded Russian laying on the ground behind him. "He just saved me! Please! J-Just stop! STOP ALFRED!"

Alfred froze with his gun in his hand, still pointed down at the two. Ivan coughed up blood onto the floor as Matthew teared up, begging Alfred not to shoot again….

Just then, a bullet stuck Matthew's shoulder.